Award Data

PROJECT SUMMARY The β-hemoglobinopathies are prevalent genetic blood diseases with few treatment options. It is estimate that 7% of the worldandapos;s population carries an abnormal hemoglobin gene with 400,000 infants born annually with a severe life threatening hemoglobinopathy. Drug mediated induction of normal, but developmentally silenced, fetal hemoglobin (HbF) expression reduces anemia and ...

Optical photothermal IR (OPTIR) microscopy for chemical imaging of living cells at sub-micron resolution Project Summary/Abstract Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp (PSC) and Prof. Ji-Xin Cheng of Boston University in collaboration with Prof. Rohith Reddy (University of Houston) propose to develop, validate, and commercialize a novel technical called Optical Photothermal Infrared (OPTIR) spectroscopy. ...

This Phase II project aims to assemble the key set of sensor modalities that are needed to reliably view the key process anomalies and properties of laser powder bed fusion. The research team will down-select from the Phase I sensors investigated and integrate the sensors into a sensor fusion software package that facilitates data collection and synchronization, and eventually feedback control of ...

Project SummaryUltrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are known to reflect emotional processing, brain neurochemistry and brain function - key observations in animal model studies. Collecting and processing USV data is time-intensive, manual, and costly. Most importantly, it limits researchers’ ability to employ fully effective, and nuanced experimental designs, and is a barrier to entry for other rese ...

Abstract E cigarettes (E-cigs) are increasingly popular worldwide, in particular, among youths. E-cigs may contribute to nicotine addiction and are unlikely to discourage conventional cigarette smoking. Mainstream and second-hand E-cig aerosols contain, in addition to nicotine, detectable levels of toxins including carcinogens and heavy metals such as formaldehyde, benzene, nitrosamines, cadmium a ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Asthma, characterized by airways obstruction with symptoms of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and consequently cough, remains a significant health problem. While advances in bronchodilator, corticosteroid and Th2-targeting therapy allow for well-controlled asthma in a large population of patients, subjects with severe, corticosteroid resistant asthma require frequent ...

7. Project Summary Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease in which myelin of the central nervous system (CNS) is destroyed by a self-reactive immune response. This demyelination is accompanied by the death of the myelinating cells themselves, the oligodendrocytes. Repeated bouts of demyelination leave the denuded CNS neurons vulnerable to degradation and is the major cause of neuro ...

Evolution of an Adaptable Prosthetic Foot Design for Normalization ofBiomechanics During Community Participation Summary/AbstractThe vision of this project is to improve the functional physical mobility of people with lower extremity amputations especially on uneven ground, side-slopes or when foot placement varies from side-to-side. People with amputations will be enabled to confidently participa ...

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of factors that increases the risks for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and mortality, and currently affects andgt; 40% of US adults. MetS is associated with endothelial dysfunction, decreased circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), and a pro-inflammatory state. We have made the exciting discovery that therapy with allogeneic me ...

Methamphetamine use disorder is associated with damage to regions of the brain that control cognitive and psychiatric functionOne third to one half of adults with methamphetamine use disorder experience cognitive impairments and other psychiatric symptoms that significantly impact treatment outcomesincreased relapse and lower treatment retention ratesMounting evidence demonstrates how immune facto ...